I'm in Leicester and it's great for veggies especially if you like spicy food. My number one recommendation is Shivalli at the top of Welford Road, especially their lunchtime buffet, as it's cheap and tasty (and they usually have nice salad on it as well as hot and fried things) and nearly always has a lot of vegan choice - sometimes pretty much everything on it is vegan, but if not and the staff don't think there's enough for you to eat they say "I'll get you something else" and will bring out a little pot of something like channa masala or aubergine curry.

Belgrave Road/Melton Road area has a ton of Pure Veg restaurants/sweet shops of varying quality. We tend to go to Indigo quite a bit because of their chilli mushrooms and because my friend likes their chilli potatoes without the chilli.

There's a Buddhist centre that has an all veg cafe near the cathedral and they've had one vegan cake option every time I've been but more options for main courses, and the Good Earth on Free Lane is worth a visit if you want to be transported back to the 70s decor-wise and pay £5.90 for a baked potato. Despite being a vegetarian cafe, the Good Earth don't seem that good at doing non-cheese things, although I think they've had special vegan evening events in the past.

Narborough Road is another one with lots of Indian vegetarian options for places to eat.

And we've got all the usual Pizza Express, Wagamama, Wetherspoons options, plus Las Iguanas where the staff are very helpful and there are usually several veganisable things on the menu.

_________________"Let's narrow the potential audience to Hegan Seagans who are Beegan when they Freegan" - Tigon

I've finally gotten around to going to both Demuths and The Porter in Bath, and explored the health-food shops a little bit. The cheapest seems to be the one opposite the Porter, particularly for soy lecithin granules, which are the cheapest I have seen. I'm fairly certain I'm the only person in the world who buys them, though.

The Porter - as a pub, it's very "trendy", but good trendy not soulless trendy. If Bath had more hipstahs, they would be here, hipsting. Their vegan selection is a tiny bit limited, but it was pretty good tasting and everyone left satisfied. I think they just use Linda Maccartney Everything, so the burgers are not vegan but the sausages are. Staff are friendly, and you can sit in the window and judge people by their appearances whilst drinking and getting fat.

Demuths - Very good, but not amazing. The entrées are tiny and expensive, but the mains are colossal and reasonably priced. I don't have anything bad to say about it, really, but it didn't knock my socks off as I expected it to. The tofu tempura was a block of firm tofu the size of the Isle of Wight in lovely crisp batter, but was sadly unseasoned and served with an indressed salad and the whole thing came off as a bit uninspiring and became hard work after a while. I also had a pattypan (little flat squashes) starter dish, that was glorious and melt-in-the-mouth perfection. I've been there another time as well, but have no memory of what I ate, other than that it was pretty tasty. Oh, the puddings are of epic proportions and tasted like angels were having a party on my tongue.

_________________Moon - "This is the best recipe in the history of recipes forever."

On the unlikely chance anyone ever ventures into deepest, darkest North Norfolk, we ended up at a tiny rural pub last week where I thought I'd have no chance whatsoever getting anything remotely vegan, but found they'd got clearly marked gluten free and vegan things on the menu! (Well, one vegan thing, which was one more than any other pub I've ever found in Norfolk.) It's called the Lighthouse and it's just outside of Walcott.

That's good to know, my auntie lives in Norfolk and keeps asking me to come stay with her, but she doesn't really like cooking and tends to take people out for dinner instead. So hopefully there's something near by.

Whereabouts in Norfolk does she live? I know of a couple of places that do vegan options in North Norfolk, or are amenable to doing them, but not sure about elsewhere. There's also a horse sancturary in East Runton (or maybe West Runton) that has a vegan cafe.

We went to Jack Sprat's (Newcastle) for lunch. The savoury food was absolutely amazing. They had the best chips I've ever eaten in my life, and the "fish" tasted almost exactly like real fish. However, the dessert was just about the most disgusting thing I've ever put in my mouth. We got two different things - coffee pudding cake and chocolate cheesecake. The cheesecake seemed to not have anything even remotely resembling cream cheese, had very little flavour but still managed to have a weird, minty aftertaste, AND it was still half-frozen (so it had ice crystals in it). The coffee thing was wheat-free and seemed to be made with sweet potato. It was so dense it had to be cut with a knife, and it barely had any flavour. It was seriously horrible. But we didn't say anything about it because the staff were really nice.

So, if you're ever in Newcastle, definitely go to Jack Sprat's, but don't get dessert.

_________________A pie eating contest is a battle with no losers. - amandabear

Ooh, I'm slightly jealous. My OH and I are in Oxford. We find plenty to eat, but you definitely have to know your way around and be ready to ask questions. :) Sadly, we don't have a very good health food shop. There is one where the staff is fab and nice and all, but the selection is really unreliable and they often say they'll order something for you and then don't follow through. Overall, I think we do alright, but we're glad to be just an hour from London (by train).

Ooh, I'm slightly jealous. My OH and I are in Oxford. We find plenty to eat, but you definitely have to know your way around and be ready to ask questions. :) Sadly, we don't have a very good health food shop. There is one where the staff is fab and nice and all, but the selection is really unreliable and they often say they'll order something for you and then don't follow through. Overall, I think we do alright, but we're glad to be just an hour from London (by train).

I'm Oxford too! Sadly not the best I agree but can't complain too much. Are you talking about Uhuru as the health food shop? Any restaurant recommendations I might not have tried?!

Yeah, Uhuru was the place I was thinking of. Everyone there is super nice, but I've had several disappointments. There was a great shop in Abingdon (which is where we are), but they closed a couple of years ago.

Lots of good places to eat if you know where to look. I think our favorites are:The Mission (Mexican/burritos, on St. Michael's and King Edward Streets)Nosebag - right next to The Mission on St. Michael'sLB's in Summertown - superb Lebanese (mostly for takeaway, but a few tables)Couscous Cafe - Moroccan, on St. ClementsWoodstock Deli - on St. Giles (these folks also run Alpha Bar in the Covered Market)Do you have any particular places you like?

Yeah, Uhuru was the place I was thinking of. Everyone there is super nice, but I've had several disappointments. There was a great shop in Abingdon (which is where we are), but they closed a couple of years ago.

Lots of good places to eat if you know where to look. I think our favorites are:The Mission (Mexican/burritos, on St. Michael's and King Edward Streets)Nosebag - right next to The Mission on St. Michael'sLB's in Summertown - superb Lebanese (mostly for takeaway, but a few tables)Couscous Cafe - Moroccan, on St. ClementsWoodstock Deli - on St. Giles (these folks also run Alpha Bar in the Covered Market)Do you have any particular places you like?

Are you studying in Oxford?

Thank you for all the recommendations. I kind of like Uhuru but probably because it's really close to me. I agree the selection isn't always the best though and it's pretty expensive too.Yes, I'm studying at the uni, but my family home is actually in Oxford too! We moved here a few years back but Ionly went vegan last year so am still looking out for new finds :)I like The Mission and Couscous café but haven't tried the others. Great to know of a Lebanese takeaway place and I really like Alpha Bar so I imagine the Woodstock deli is good. Is it a shop or café? I go past Nosebag all the time obviously but for some reason have never been.

All I can think of right now is the Vaults + Garden (I thought they ran Alpha Bar?)- yummy food, and lovely garden for summer and the Gardener's Arms pub ( I personally don't think much of it- it's just a pub but which is all veg so I guess they're not looking to provide gourmet food..nonhomemade veg burgers etc.)Oh, also, if you're eating out with omnis then I've had great meals at the Magdalen Arms. It definitely doesn't seem vegan friendly with a very meaty menu but I've been there with family and they've always been really accommodating and made me own inventive dishes :)

^I'm in Oxford, too (three?). One of my favourite places to eat is Red Star Noodle Bar on Cowley Road. It looks pretty humble, but it is really tasty. They serve Japanese/Asian fusion food. I'm a pretty new vegan, and I haven't actually been there since turning, but I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian since I was a kid and, as with a lot of Japanese food, I would assume that most, if not all, of the vegetarian options (of which there are plenty on the menu - plus lots of extras written up on boards surrounding the whole place) are actually vegan or could easily be made vegan.

Ooh, Red Star is yummy! Cowley Road is a sort of vegetarians haven I think :) I've been to Vaults & Garden just once and it was good. I've heard too, that they have the same owner as Alpha Bar. They used to run one of the kebab trucks right outside the Ashmolean each night, but I haven't seen it ages.

Good to know about Magdalen Arms. We've had some luck with the Royal Blenheim (on St. Ebbes, sorta out the back door of Sainsburys in Westgate). We're going there tonight in fact, for an Oxford Vegans meeting. I should've posted this sooner, but it's at 7:30 if either of you would like to come. There's only about 8-10 of us so far, but we're trying to organize a couple of events.

DI, are you a full time Oxfordian too? The other half and I have been here just about 5 years now.

We've had some luck with the Royal Blenheim (on St. Ebbes, sorta out the back door of Sainsburys in Westgate). We're going there tonight in fact, for an Oxford Vegans meeting. I should've posted this sooner, but it's at 7:30 if either of you would like to come. There's only about 8-10 of us so far, but we're trying to organize a couple of events.

I'm going too!Haha, maybe we've already met at one of the meetings! See you later :)

Ooh, Red Star is yummy! Cowley Road is a sort of vegetarians haven I think :) I've been to Vaults & Garden just once and it was good. I've heard too, that they have the same owner as Alpha Bar. They used to run one of the kebab trucks right outside the Ashmolean each night, but I haven't seen it ages.

Good to know about Magdalen Arms. We've had some luck with the Royal Blenheim (on St. Ebbes, sorta out the back door of Sainsburys in Westgate). We're going there tonight in fact, for an Oxford Vegans meeting. I should've posted this sooner, but it's at 7:30 if either of you would like to come. There's only about 8-10 of us so far, but we're trying to organize a couple of events.

DI, are you a full time Oxfordian too? The other half and I have been here just about 5 years now.

Oh, I didn't know such a thing existed (the Oxford Vegans group, that is), it's a bit late to turn out now, but I'd be interested in joining you for the next one, if you keep me posted :)

And, yes... I am a full time Oxfordian. I've lived here all my life. I actually live in a little village near Oxford, at the moment, but no-one's ever heard of it, so I normally sort of geographically round it up and say that I live in Oxford, just to make things easier!

The group wasn't set up all that long ago but yes you'll definitely have to come to the next meeting. I'll make sure to keep you posted. We're trying to organise a bake sale to take place in a few weeks time if you're interested?! Oh, and a picnic!

I'm in Leicester and it's great for veggies especially if you like spicy food. My number one recommendation is Shivalli at the top of Welford Road, especially their lunchtime buffet, as it's cheap and tasty (and they usually have nice salad on it as well as hot and fried things) and nearly always has a lot of vegan choice - sometimes pretty much everything on it is vegan, but if not and the staff don't think there's enough for you to eat they say "I'll get you something else" and will bring out a little pot of something like channa masala or aubergine curry.

Is Mirch Masala a no-go-zone these days? I read some pretty dodgy sounding reviews of it in relation to hygeine levels.

I'm from Cornwall but live in Exeter- I guess if you're near Totnes you must be at the Saltash/Liskeard end? When I visit Cornwall, although there's not a great selection of veg restaurants, the health food shops are fine. Archie Brown's in Truro/PZ is okay, but might be a bit far if you're up in North Cornwall. I really like Country Store in Redruth if you can stomach going there (it's where I'm from so I'm allowed to point out it's shiteness!). Falmouth has loads of vegan options- vegan pasties and one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten came from the Pea Souk! In Plymouth, there's Veggie Perrins who will do you a cracking vegan curry. The Art Centre Cafe in Plymouth is also supposed to be good, although I have never been. I think Cornwall might actually be better vegan-wise than Devon...

Is Mirch Masala a no-go-zone these days? I read some pretty dodgy sounding reviews of it in relation to hygeine levels.

Well, I did have to point out to them once that something in their chiller cabinet had got mould on it, and they didn't seem that phased, but that wouldn't stop me going there, it's just that Shivalli is even closer to my work and house and seems to be better value and fresher food. I'd still stop off at Mirch if I wanted to grab a couple of samosas to go, and I do occasionally get a craving for their pizza meal as well (with beans instead of coleslaw).

_________________"Let's narrow the potential audience to Hegan Seagans who are Beegan when they Freegan" - Tigon

I'm from Cornwall but live in Exeter- I guess if you're near Totnes you must be at the Saltash/Liskeard end? When I visit Cornwall, although there's not a great selection of veg restaurants, the health food shops are fine. Archie Brown's in Truro/PZ is okay, but might be a bit far if you're up in North Cornwall. I really like Country Store in Redruth if you can stomach going there (it's where I'm from so I'm allowed to point out it's shiteness!). Falmouth has loads of vegan options- vegan pasties and one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten came from the Pea Souk! In Plymouth, there's Veggie Perrins who will do you a cracking vegan curry. The Art Centre Cafe in Plymouth is also supposed to be good, although I have never been. I think Cornwall might actually be better vegan-wise than Devon...

Aaaw thanks hana :) love this <3Where abouts are you from in cornwall?

I'm new to the forum and to veganism (been about 3 months now) so am just getting the hang of what's available to me where I live in Milton Keynes and thought I'd share the information I've gathered, and maybe even find a fellow person from the 'Keynes who might be able to share some insight!

As far as grocery shopping goes, so far I've been to the obvious Holland & Barrett but don't feel the need to use them too much as the massive Tesco at Kingston has a Nutricentre attached to it and they sell much the same, if not a better selection of things. I'm assuming Nutricentres are affiliated with Tesco in some way as you can claim Clubcard vouchers there. It's super convenient as I can get the basic staples from Tesco and anything that I can't get there, I can grab from the Nurticentre after the big weekly shop. Most of the supermarkets in MK are fairly large and do have a small 'free from' section that will usually include a few specialised vegan items.

Restaurant-wise I've become a big fan of Yo! Sushi since becoming vegan although it took me a while to get my head around which items on the menu are okay. Other than that, I haven't really eaten out much as I'm still doing my research on which places are vegan friendly but MK is large enough that it has all the usual chain restaurants and I understand that some of them (Pizza Express, Giraffe etc.) are quite good at adapting menu items for vegans. Can't forget Shakeaway either, was so happy that I could still get my milkshake fix! I downloaded an app for my Android that finds local veggie friendly restaurants (Happy Cow, or something) and it found one chinese restaurant near me but there seemed to be a load of places in Buckingham and Aylesbury so may have to venture further afield.

I've found the transition to veganism fairly easy so I guess MK isn't too bad.

I work in Northampton so will often try shopping there too. There's a great little place called Daily Bread (also an online shop) which is along the same lines as Goodness Direct. Also, Goodness Direct are based in Northamptonshire so you can save on postage and collect orders from the warehouse! Shakeaway have also recently set up in the shopping centre in Northampton. Apparently the Redwood foods company shop is in Corby so will have to go there one day!

As an aside, I noticed some of the above posters commenting on Devon and Cornwall. I was in both areas over the course of last week and was surprised at how little there was available to vegans! I guess I assumed that the south-west was pretty eco-concious and therefore would be quite into vegetarianism. How wrong was I?! Most restaurants didn't even have one vegetarian option on the menu let alone a vegan dish, just lots of seafood and steak. I found a vegan friendly cafe in Kingsbridge but they only do lunch between 12 and 2 and I got there at 2:30 :( I did however find a large selection of Clive's pasties and pies at the BP garage in Dartmouth and a vegan flapjack at the Station Restaurant on Dartmouth's harbour front. That was my first holiday since becoming vegan and I did find it quite difficult to find convenience food on the go. I ended up having chips and beans most days. Oh! I have to give a special mention to the Crantock Bay Hotel in Cornwall, I was there for a wedding and requested the vegan menu and it was fab. I felt like they made a real special effort to provide tasty, well presented food.

there is stuff available down here, but because of the lack of chain restaurants and spread out-edness of things (especially in that bit of Devon!), you just have to know where to look. It's then same wherever you go though I think, you know what's vegan close to you but it's a bit harder when you visit other places unless you do some research first, or you're going to an obvious vegan mecca like Brighton or London.

Welcome baldwitlion!Glad you're finding this relatively easy. I really like Goodness direct for mailorder, lucky that you can save on postage. And sadly our shakeaway in Oxford got closed down before I got to try it but it's been replaced by a new shake place "Shakespeare's". I doubt they do soy milk shakes but I should really check it out and support them if they do!

I haven't found Clive's Pies yet just lusted after them on their website..